mrchips

15 minutes ago, tnn94 said:

Would like to talk about it.

shoot me an email at bwickett1617@yahoo.com

 

3 hours ago, tnn94 said:

Thanks for the information, I will check it out.

Yes, it is back on the market

 

You need 21' from back of cab to center of hitch for a 4 door. a two door is 22" less WB. Here is some advice, don't go down that road unless you have a minimum of 265" WB truck and then it is iffy. Yes, I do know what I am talking about. Been there done and doing that. Then take into account how long your trailer is, and what the pin weight is. Trust me, it makes a huge difference. 

3 hours ago, SuiteSuccess said:

Mr Chips,

I am puzzled by your last statement.  Would you feel free to elaborate?

I can't at the moment as I have assured Leon I would not disclose details until the insurance is done with everything they need and he has said it is ok. I hope you understand. Believe me, I wish the pictures and facts were out. 

1 hour ago, phoenix2013 said:

I'm pretty certain that the insurance company is already looking at this event with a jaundice eye figuring out how many others they can "invite to the party" before or after they shell out tens of thousands of dollars, or more. If it encounters "resistance to the invitations" I'm sure lawyers will come out of the woodwork. The facebook crowd on the other forums is not a very good platform to have a "re-construction" discussion, it's full of apologists, do it yourselves, social influencers and people who like to hear the sound of their voice (print wise), but that's typical of those platforms. Note also that these "discussions" seem to go away after a day or two and you can't find them, which is probably a good thing in most instances.

I find more kindred spirits on this forum in folks with engineering or technical backgrounds who can have a calm discussion based on observable facts, research and personal experience, so I am going to throw few things out to "get things going".

1. If it was the jaw on the Comfort Ride that failed (I said if, because I have not seen a picture of it and it was just a statement from someone), it is not necessarily the fault of that jaw, I would venture further that it "might not have had a choice" but to fail.

2. I would further venture that DRV and the Sidewinder contributed significantly to that failure.

3. There is a good possibility that if another set up such as this goes down the road, this failure will happen again. 

If the reaction to these statements is a "flame out" we can stop right now. If these is curiosity we can continue.

1. No, the jaw did not fail per se. Both jaws are 100% in tact, both jaw pins are 100% in tact, following the accident, the handle was in the locked position and secured. But yes, the jaw failed in that it released the trailer.

2. It would be hard to dispute that Lippert (frame maker) as well as the Sidewinder contributed, but many other factors could have also contributed. I will say the only damage occurred on the frame or the Sidewinder was caused from hitting the pavement and truck and sliding, and the trailer was towed by the sidewinder and the frame to impound without incident. 

3. you are 100% correct in that IF the exact hitch and exact same set up were rolling down the road there is a very good possibility the same would or could happen. However, with that being said, I doubt you will find the EXACT set up and I am referring to the hitch itself in this statement. 

Leon nor Anita have blamed anyone, any company or any product in this. They have turned off all comments on FB when it went south. The FB engineers and some on here have continually turned things into finger pointing, or what product is better than the other. That is the part that has angered me. Should I have jumped in, maybe not. But you will not find a single place I have slandered anyone or any product and I will not. I will do my best to squish ridiculousness and comments and opinions I know to be incorrect. I have always asked for the facts to be let heard and to let the insurance do what they need to do. To my knowledge Leon has pulled all pictures of the hitch and is awaiting further insurance instructions. We have pieced together what failed and the events that took place. We nor anyone will ever know all of the root causes. But I will go back to a statement I have made. if my hitch and Leon's hitch were laying side by side it would be very obvious what the differences are and how this most likely occurred. And we both have a CR 308 hitch. 

Torque caused his hitch to fail, given the same torque and conditions mine would not have suffered the same fate I am positive.

14 hours ago, Big5er said:

Sir? Wow, I thought that was my dad's name. So tell me mrchips, exactly what did I say that was incorrect?  
{This I gotta hear...)

Well, I will apologize, I went back and re-read your post and I did read it incorrectly. So with that my apologies. Yes, the hitch failed, and yes there were a multitude of causes. But I assure, if you look at his 308 and my 308 side by side, you will easily know why it failed, regardless of the multitude of possible causes.  I am just so tired of the finger pointing I read your post too fast, again I apologize.

As for the Sir, that was a respect. I don't know you, nor do I know your name. I was raised with Sir and Ma'am as a respect. I spent 25 years in the military where respect is given until the need for revocation.  If you wish disrespect instead I can probably manage that as well.....LOL

On ‎5‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 5:36 PM, rpsinc said:

Easy on the barb throwing.  

Surely there is a message of the importance of safety in our activities of towing these big trailers down the highways.  Even with the greatest attention to safety and SOPs, ACCIDENTS do happen, and sometimes others can influence the outcome.  We can learn many things to help each of us by listening to the comments of others, as our individual circumstances are unique to each of us.

Thank you. Everyone needs to calm down, stop assuming they know what happened, stop blaming this part or that and be thankful we didn't lose an RVer and his family and no one else on the road was hurt. 

On ‎5‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 5:18 PM, GeorgiaHybrid said:

So you have actually examined the trailer, truck, hitch and sidewinder? I wouldn't have thought you could have examined all of them, did a structural analysis, had the various materials tested in a lab for adherence to ASTM and ANSI standards in this short period of time.

I don't have to do all the analytical stuff. the main cause is very evident. The sub causes I am sure are many and no one will ever know. EVERY major accident is a result of many subsequent small issues with one root cause. Are the truck, pin box, traffic, driver, driver input and actions, brakes all sub-factors in this, absolutely. but I can say that one specific weakness allowed all of these sub-parts to cause the major incident.

Why is it that everyone wants to blame? Why can't everyone just wait on the facts, if Leon decides to share and be thankful no one was hurt and no other damages occurred? 

I am not defending a single thing EXCEPT wrong assumptions and Leon and Anita. 

On ‎5‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 5:49 PM, Big5er said:

It happened on I-10 in Houston....on the west side of town near the West Loop (I-610W). I am not gonna arm chair quarterback the entire crash on here, but I am in complete agreement with Rick. The hitch failure was a result, not the cause...in my opinion. Our HDT's are wonderfully beasts, much more capable than a pickup but they do have their limits. 

You would be wrong in your opinion and assumption Sir. Let the facts come out. But I can tell you for fact you are incorrect.

18 minutes ago, Av8r3400 said:

One of the nicest in the community, Brett.

Thank you Sir, you have a fine looking rig also. Love the 730....lol But I'm a bit partial.

55 minutes ago, rickeieio said:

If we were in the market for a hauler, this one would be near the top of the list.  Nicely done.

Thank you Sir

 

 

If you ever wanted a Jeep hauler, or any vehicle of similar or shorter length and still be able to pull your fiver, I have the one you want. 2013 Volvo 730. D13 Ishift, Eco-torque XE performance package, 2.64 rears 6x4, 635,000 miles 100% ready to hook up and go. I bought this truck in Nov 2017 and since have turned it into a hauler. We fulltime and use it all the time. I have an extensive list of items I have added, replaced or repaired. All service since I have owned it has been done at Volvo and just two weeks ago had a valve adjustment and full Volvo inspection and service. I am sure I have forgotten some things I have done, but this is a list of everything off the top of my head. I built the bed and have done all work on the truck except the heavy lift items. Truck is 100% ready to go. All you need to supply is a vehicle to put on the bed, tie down straps and a fifthwheel. 

10” chrome front bumper with LED running lights

David Dixon headlight conversion with new housings,    David Dixon fog lights

New king pins, bearings, bushings      New King shocks on steer axle

New brake cans, slack adjusters and S cams at all positions

New brake liners on front      New drive axle shocks

New ride height control valve       New Yokohama steer tires and centramatic balancing rings

Three new Michelin Super single rear tires, one that is three years old

LED stop/turn/running lights on rear of fairing

45 Gal black/grey tank under the bed with standard RV sewer dump

Tucson Brake trailer brake controller      Jackalopee for trailer lights

1000w inverter with cab power and installed battery maintainer

7” 4 camera monitor with two truck cameras and wired for trailer camera, all CabCam system

Dash cam    TPMS system      New stereo    New CB antenna wiring      New fridge

Complete new interior, new carpet, new door panels, new workstation cushion covers, new wall covering.

New Legacy Silver air ride seats in both positions

New Donvel air control valves on seats, cab and drive axles

New cab shocks     New front windshield

Comfort Ride 30K hitch

Fresh 3 axle alignment      Valve adjustment and full Volvo inspection and service

 

$68,500 as it sits (minus the jeep)….lol